Pants hanger



March H; J. ZIMMERMANN 06 PANTS HANGER Filedoqt. 25, 1945 "mil/I Patented Mar. 25, 1947 PANTS HANGER A Hans J. Zimmermann, Canton, Ohio Application camber-2 5, 1945, Serial No. 624,386

8 Claims. 1

The invention relates generally to garment hangers, and more particularly to a hanger for suspending a pair of men's trousers in inverted position.

Conventional pants hangers consist of a clamp having two bars arranged to grip both trouser cuffs tightly between them, and a hook for sup-1 If the bars are clamped porting the bars. tightly enough to prevent the weight of the trousers from pulling the cuffs out of the hanger, the bars will mark the trousers, even though the bars are lined with felt or the like.

Moreover, in such hangers the bars clamp tightest in the center of the cuffs, because of the extra thicknesses of cloth at that point due to the seams, and the front and rear edges of the cuffs sometimes slip and sag, causing folds or wrinkles in the trousers.

Another disadvantage of such hangers is that they do not hold dress trousers or other cuffless trousers satisfactorily, because without the extra thickness of the cuffs, it is very diflicult to clamp the trousers tightly enough to prevent them from slipping.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved pants hanger which will hold a pair of trousers in properly creased condition without marking them in any way.

Another object is to provide an improved pants hanger which is adapted to hang trousers equally well with or without cuffs.

Another object is to provide an improved pants hanger which is adapted to be folded into a small parcel when not in use.

A further object is to provide an improved pants hanger which is longitudinally adjustable for fitting trousers of a variety of widths.

Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved pants hanger which overcomes all the disadvantages of conventional hangers, which is inexpensive to manufacture, easy to use, and attractive in appearance.

These and other objects and advantages apparent from the following description and claims,

may be obtained and the described difficulties overcome by the devices, constructions, combinations and parts which comprise the present invention, the nature of which is set forth in the following general statement, and a preferred embodiment of which is set forth by way of example in the following description and shown in :the drawings, and which is particularly and distinctly pointedout and set forth in the appended claims forming part hereof.

2 The nature of the improvements of the present invention may be stated in general terms as including a pair of inner tubes slidable in an outer tube and urged expansibly outward in opposite directions by spring means within the inner tubes, there being foldable loops depending from the ends of said tubes for frictionally engaging the insides of a pair of trouser cufis at the creases thereof, said loops being normally locked on said inner tubes in depending position, and a hook having its lower end extending through said outertube and engaging slots in said inner tubes for:

limiting outward expending movement thereof.

A preferred embodiment of the improved pants hanger is shown by way of example in the accom-' panying drawings, in which: Figure; 1 is a side elevation of the improved hanger, showing one of the ants engaging loops in depending position and one in folded position;

Fig. 2 is an end view thereof; Fig. 3 is a view similar Fig. 6 is a fragmentary isometric view showing a pair of trousers supported by the improved hanger; and

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of one of the innertubes.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

The improved hanger preferably includes an outer tube 1 which may be provided at its central portion with diametrically opposite holes 8 for receiving the lower inturned ends 9 of a hook 18, as best shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The hook l0 may conveniently be made of a single piece of wire having a loop Illa at its outer end, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6, and is adapted to engage over a hanger bar or the like in a clothes closet.

Within the outer tube I is a pair of inner tubes H and I2 which are freely slidable in the tube i, and which have means secured on their outer to Fig. 1 with partsbroken away and in section to show the internal ments for the ends of helical springs I6, which are located within the tubes I I and I2 and act to urge the tubes outwardly away from each other.

The inner legs I3 of the double loops depend downwardly at opposite sides of the tubes I I and I2 and are looped or bent forwardly and upwardly at I I to form outer legs IS, the upper ends of which are joined in upper loops I9 which-fit tightly over the outer ends of the tubes II and I2. The legs I 8 may be serrated as indicated at 2,0 for frictionally engaging the insides of a pair of trousers T in the manner indicated in Fig. 6, and the upper loops I9 normally abut the upper ends of the tubes I I and I2 so as to lock the double loops in trouser engaging position, However, when it is desired to fold the hanger, the loops may be folded inwardly along side the tubes as indicated in Fig. 1, by first springing the loops I9 outwardly.

Thus, the inner tubes II and I2 are longitudinally adjustable in the outer tube I, and the springs I6 urge the inner tubes away from each other so as to exert an outward pressure on the legs I8 when engaging trousers of a variety of widths.

Asindicated in Figs. 3 and 5, the inner end portions of the tubes II and I2 are cut away by slitting the tubes longitudinally, and the cut away portion of each tube is adapted to fit the remaining portion of the other tube, when the tubes II and I2 are interfitted as shown in the drawings, In other words, the half cylindrical end portion 2| of the tube II fits within the cut out portion 22 of tub I2, and the half cylindrical portion 23 of tube I2 fits within the cut out portion 24 of tube I I, so that the overlapping parts of the tube form a cylinder,

Each half cylindrical portion 21 and 23 ,is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 25 into which are received the ends 9 of the hook I9, so that engagement of the ends 9 with the ends of the slots 25 will limit the outward movement of the tubes II and I2 and prevent the hanger from coming apart. Th particular construction of the tubes I I and I2 including the half cylindrical portions 2| and 23 with their slots 25, provides for making the tubes II and I2 identical, which reduces the cost of manufacture materially. I It will be understood that the relative positions of the tubes .in Figs. 1, 3 and are those normally occupied when the hanger is supporting a pair of trousers as in Fig. 6, wherein the outer legs I8 of the double loops are engaging the insides of the trouser cuffs.

In the operation of the improved hanger, as-

suming that the double loops are in the depending position of Fig. 3, all that is necessary is to force the. tubes I I and I 2 inwardly against springs I6 until they .can be inserted inside the trouser cufis in the manner shown in Fig. 6, whereupon the inward pressure on the tubes is released and ,the springs I6 urge the serrated edges I9 outwardly into frictional engagement with the cloth of the. trousers in the fold lines thereof.

Thus, there is no clamping bar pressing on the .outs ideof the trouser cuiTs/to mark the same, and the. frictional engagement of the legs I8 is such as to support dress trousers or trousers without cuffs equally well. The action of the springs i6 is such as to support the trousers without permitting sagging thereof in any way, asin the case of the conventional clamp'hangers now in use.

When it is desiredto fold th improved hanger, the upper loop IQ .of the engaging members are sprung outwardly to permit folding the loops inwardly as shown in Fig. 1, and the hook loop III may be swung to the right as viewed in Fig. 1, to fold closely alongside the outer tube 1.

In the improved hanger construction, the provision of two springs I6 abutting the end portions I4 of the engaging means at the outer ends of the springs and abutting the ends 9 of the hook II] at the inner ends of the springs results in centering the outer tube I with respect to the inner tubes II regardless of the adjusted position of the inner tubes, only presents an attractive appearance but maintains the hook It! centered with respect to the hangerso that pants or the like suspended from the hanger always hang straight downwardly from :a bar or the like on which the hanger is engaged.

Moreover, the improved hanger construction has a very simplified design consisting of an outer tube, two identical inner tubes, a hook member, two identical springs, and two identical trousers engaging members which are easy to assemble without any rivets, screws, or other special securing means; and the component parts may be made without welding or the like.

.Due to the absence of welding or riveting, no special finishing operations are required and there are no projections on the hanger to catch or tear clothes. Moreover, although the parts can be made of metal, due to the absence of special fastening means, one or more of the parts may be made of plastic material.

Finally, the tubular construction of the inner and outer tubes forms a stiff and strong hanger; and th construction and mounting of the trousers engaging means also provides a stiif and strong arrangement.

Thus, the improved hanger overcomes the disadvantages of conventional hangers, is inexpensive to manufacture, easy to use, and attractive inappearance.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for the sake of clarity, but no un necessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond th requirements of the prior art, because such words are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed.

Moreover, the embodiments of the improved construction shown and described are by way of example, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the exact details of.con-.

struction of the various parts.

Having now described the features of the invention, the construction, operation and use of a preferred embodiment thereof, and the new anduseful advantageous results obtained thereby; the novel and improved constructions and arrangements, and reasonable mechanical equivalents thereof which are obvious to those skilled in the art, are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Pants hanger construction including an outer tube, a pair of inner tubes slidable longitudinally therein, foldable loops depending from the outer ends of said inner tubes for engaging the insides of a pair .of trousers, spring means within said inner tubes urging them longitudinally outwardly away from each other, means at the upper ends of saidloops normally abutting the inner tubes to This arrangement not v 2. Pants hanger construction including an outer tube, a pair of inner tubes slidable 1ongitudinally therein, foldable loops depending from the outer ends of said inner tubes for engaging the insides of a pair of trousers, the inner end portions of said inner tubes being half-cylindrical and overlapping each other to form a cylinder, said half-cylindrical portions having diametrically opposite longitudinal slots therein, helical springs within said inner tubes urging them longitudinally outwardly away from each other, means at the upper ends of said loops normally abutting the inner tubes to lock the loops in depending position, and a hook having lower end portions extending through said outer tube and entered in said slots in said inner tubes for limiting longitudinal movement thereof.

3. Pants hanger construction including an outer tube, a pair of inner tubes slidable longitudinally therein, foldable loops depending from the outer ends of said inner tubes for engaging the insides of a pair of trousers, said loops having end portions extending into said inner tubes, helical springs interposed between the loop end portions urging said inner tubes longitudinally outwardly away from each other, said loops having upper portions normally engaging over the upper sides of said inner tubes for locking the loops in depending position, and a hook for supporting said outer tube.

4. Pants hanger construction including an outer tube, a pair of inner tubes slidable longitudinally therein, spring means urging said inner tubes apart, a pants engaging member at the outer end of each inner tube, the inner end portions of i said inner tubes being half-cylindrical and overlapping each other to form a cylinder, said halfcylindrical portions having diametrically opposite longitudinal slots therein, and a hanger hook having angular ends extending through said outer tube and into said slots for limiting longitudinal movement of said inner tubes.

5. Pants hanger construction including an outer tube, a pair of inner tubes slidable longitudinally therein, sprin means urging said inner tubes apart, a double loop depending from the outer ends of said inner tubes, each double 100p including a trouser-engaging front leg and a rear leg at each side of said inner tube, said front legs being connected together by an upper loop portion normally fitting over said inner tube for locking the legs in depending position, and said rear legs having angular ends extending through said inner tubes for pivotally mounting the double loops on the tubes and forming abutments for the outer ends of said spring means.

6. Pants hanger construction including an outer tube, a pair of inner tubes slidable longitudinally therein, spring means urging said inner tubes apart, a double loop depending from the outer ends of said inner tubes, each double loop including a trouser-engaging front leg and a rear leg at each side of said inner tube, said front legs being connected together by an upper loop portion normally fitting over said inner tube for locking the legs in depending position, and said rear legs having angular ends extending through said inner tubes for pivotally mounting the double loops on the tubes and forming'abutments for the outer ends of said spring means, the inner end portions of said inner tubes being half -cylindrical and overlapping each other to form a cylinder, said half-cylindrical portions having diametrically opposite longitudinal slots therein, and a hanger hook having angular ends extending through said outer tube and into said slots for limiting longitudinal movement of said inner tubes and forming an abutment for the inner ends of said spring means.

7. Pants hanger construction including an outer tube, a pair of inner tubes slidable longitudinally therein, foldable loops depending from the outer ends of said inner tubes for engaging the insides of a pair of trousers, spring means within said inner tubes urging them longitudinally outwardly away from each other, means at the upper ends of said loops normally engaging over the upper sides of the inner tubes to lock the loops in depending position, a hook having lower end portions extending through said outer tube and means upon the inner tubes cooperating with said lower end portions of the hook for limiting longitudinal movement of the inner tubes.

8. Pants hanger construction including an outer tube, a pair of inner tubes slidable longitudinally therein, foldable loops depending from the outer ends oi. said inner tubes for engaging the insides of a pair of trousers, said loops having end portions extending into said inner tubes, helical springs interposed between the loop end portions urging said inner tubes longitudinally outwardly away from each other, said loops having upper portions normally abutting said inner tubes for locking the loops in depending position, a hook for supporting said outer loop and cooperating means upon the hook and the inner tubes for limiting longitudinal movement of the inner tubes.

HANS J. ZIMMERMANN.

REFERENCES CITED FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date German Dec. 3, 1914 Number 

